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NEC Player of the Week: Earl Potts Jr., FDU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Marcel Pettway, BRY
Previous NEC Releases: Nov. 23 | Nov. 16 | Preseason Poll Release
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Earl Potts Jr., Fairleigh Dickinson
6-6, 200 lbs.
So., G/F, Severn, MD/Archbishop Spalding
Potts Jr. provided the firepower for FDU last week, averaging 20.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in a split for the Knights. He shot 55.6 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from outside the arc, while committing just three turnovers in 73 minutes of action. Potts Jr. dropped in 21 points and grabbed nine boards in a one-point loss at Delaware on Tuesday, then came back to score a game-high 19 points in a 77-62 victory over Garden State rival Saint Peter’s on Saturday. Potts Jr. drained 8-12 shots from the floor and made 3-5 from distance against the Peacocks. The high flyer from Severn, MD native leads FDU and ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring (15.0), rebounding (6.7) and free throw percentage (.773).
NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Marcel Pettway, Bryant
6-8, 250 lbs.
Fr., F/C, North Providence, RI/Hoosac School
Pettway took advantage of extended court time last week, averaging a double-double with 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game against top flight competition. The 6’8” Pettway established new career-bests with 10 points and eight boards at Harvard on Wednesday, then bettered both marks with his first career-double at Georgetown on Saturday. Making his first career start, he scored 15 points and pulled down 12 boards while hitting 7-12 shots from the floor. A local product out of North Providence, Pettway also contrbiuted 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg and shot 52.4 percent from the field.
RMU GOES THE DISTANCE, PICKS UP FIRST WIN OF YEAR
“One step, one punch, one round at a time.”
Rocky Balboa’s words to protégé Adonis Creed in the recently released Creed may come from a fictional character in a fictional boxing world, but can ring true for any athlete or team looking to get up off the mat and find success.
With all the success Robert Morris has enjoyed the last eight seasons, including the ninth-most wins among mid-major programs, three NEC Tournament titles, two Postseason NIT wins and an NCAA victory, having its back against the ropes after an 0-6 start is not what head coach Andrew Toole and the Colonials had envisioned heading into the year.
Playing a challenging early season slate, RMU had gone the distance with a number of opponents only to come up just short, suffering a one-point setback to Penn in its season opener, a five-point home defeat against Bucknell and an overtime loss to perennial WAC power New Mexico State last Tuesday as part of the Air Force Classic.
The Colonials found themselves in yet another toe-to-toe slugfest on Saturday against Mississippi Valley State in the finale of the Classic, which was played on the campus of Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, TN.
With the game on the line and RMU trailing by a point, the Colonials went to their bread-and-butter, calling on Preseason All-NEC guard Rodney Pryor (Evanston, IL/Notre Dame Prep (Cloud County CC)) coming out of a timeout with under a minute to play. The southpaw drove the lane and sank a clutch floater for the go-ahead bucket. That shot, paired with some timely free throw shooting down the stretch finally enabled RMU to KO the Delta Devils.
“Rodney hit a big shot and was terrific on the backboard,” said RMU head coach Andrew Toole. “Those are the type of effort plays you have to make in order to win.”
Pryor finished with a team-best 17 points and snared a career-best 12 rebounds in his second double-double effort of the week, and received plenty of help from a couple of stablemates. Junior forward Billy Giles (Richmond, VA/Douglas S. Freeman (Allegany College of Maryland)) added 12 points and seven rebounds, while freshman guard Isaiah Still (Rahway, NJ/Union Catholic) finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
It all starts with one step.
And with seven underclassmen in its regular rotation and eight newcomers answering the bell on any given night, the Colonials should only get better as seasoned players like Pryor (19.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Kavon Stewart (Paterson, NJ/Hudson Catholic) (4.0 apg) begin to mesh with budding star Elijah Minnie (Monessen, PA/Lincoln Park) (12.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and the rest of their young teammates.
As the non-conference season segues into league play, which in turn will lead into the madness that is March, this first stretch of competition in the fall may wind up as nothing more than a flash knockdown in the season-long journey for the perennial NEC powerhouse.
As always, Rocky says it best.
“It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
NEC YOUTH MOVEMENT
With 11 of the league’s top-13 scorers from a year ago having moved on, a new generation of NEC stars are being born this year, the majority of whom are underclassmen.
One needs to look no further than the composition of the NEC’s top-30 point producers thus far in 2015-16:
Freshman: 4
Sophomores: 13
Juniors: 8
Seniors: 6
While there are 17 underclassmen among the top-30 scorers in the conference, the key takeaway is development of the NEC’s stellar sophomore class. Sophomores not only occupy 13 of the top-30 scoring spots, but there are also six sophs who rank in the NEC top-10, led by Sacred Heart’s Cane Broome (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford (St. Thomas More)), who leads the league with 23.2 ppg.
Sophomores Among NEC Top-10 Scorers
1. Cane Broome, SHU 23.2 ppg
3. Martin Hermannsson, LIU 16.8 ppg
3. Hunter Ware, BRY 16.8 ppg
5. Corey Henson, WC 16.5 ppg
8. Earl Potts Jr., FDU 15.0 ppg
10. Darian Anderson, FDU 14.2 ppg
Likewise, underclassmen have accounted for 48.7 percent (134 games started of a possible 275) of the starting spots on NEC teams this year.
SEAHAWKS SECURE STATEN ISLAND SUPREMACY
For the first time since 1999, Staten Island’s two collegiate basketball programs went head-to-head as Wagner knocked off College of Staten Island, 83-59, before a healthy crowd at the Spiro Center.
CSI, a DIII program that has enjoyed great success both at the regional and national levels under longtime coach Tony Petosa, came back from seven down at the break to take a 46-45 lead with under 15 minutes to play before Wagner embarked on a 15-2 run to take control and improve to 2-2 on the year.
“Our intention was to drive it and move it and get it into the post,” said Wagner head coach Bashir Mason. “That’s what finally happened when we went on the run. I’m thankful we won. That team (CSI) came in here and played really well defensively. And what the coach has done over there across the years is amazing. But we have some things that we are going to work on and correct.”
Redshirt senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay (Michigan State)) poured in a career-high 17 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the line, and classmate Mike Aaman (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan (URI)) came off the bench to contribute a game-high 18 points to go along with five boards.
Wagner is now 12-3 all-time versus CSI.
HIGH FLYING KNIGHT HONORED
Fairleigh Dickinson sophomore Earl Potts Jr. (Severn, MD/Archbishop Spalding) is one of the NEC’s most crowd-pleasing players, and certainly provided the electricity last week as the high flyer averaged 20.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in two games for the Knights. Potts Jr. shot 55.6 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from outside the arc, while committing just three turnovers in 73 minutes of action.
The NEC Player of the Week dropped in 21 points and grabbed nine boards in a one-point loss at Delaware on Tuesday, then came back to score a game-high 19 points in a 77-62 victory over Garden State rival Saint Peter’s on Saturday. Potts Jr. drained 8-12 shots from the floor and made 3-5 from distance against the Peacocks.
The Severn, MD native leads FDU with 15.0 ppg and 6.7 rpg on the year.
BRYANT’S PETTWAY MAKES SPLASH
Bryant not only landed the NEC Rookie of the Week, but the Bulldogs may also have found themselves their man in the middle for the forseeable future.
Freshman forward/center Marcel Pettway (North Providence, RI/Hoosac School) became the first NEC freshman to secure a double-double this season when he finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds in his first career start at Georgetown on Saturday. Pettway averaged 12.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg, and shot 52.4 percent from the field on the week. He ranks second on Bryant with 4.5 rpg on the year.
SFBK’S HOPKINSON MAKING MOST OF OPPORTUNITY
Playing the last two seasons behind players like Brent Jones and Ben Mockford, St. Francis Brooklyn’s Yunus Hopkinson (New York, NY/Lee Academy) had a chance to learn from two of the league’s top guards to begin his collegiate career.
After averaging 10 minutes per game in his freshman and sophomore seasons, Hopkinson is now making the most of his extended court time this season.
Last week, the New York City native averaged 10.3 points and shot 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, making six shots from distance. Most notably, Hopkinson came off the bench to score 17 of his 20 points in the second half to key a comeback victory at Hartford on Sunday. He scored eight points in a 15-2 run that that erased a 10-point deficit, including the game-tying bucket and go-ahead three-pointer that gave the Terriers a lead they would not relinquish. It marked his second 20-point game of the season.
Hopkinson leads a balanced SFBK scoring attack with 10.2 ppg and ranks second in the NEC in three-point shooting, hitting at a robust 52.3 percent clip.
DID YOU KNOW?
Central Connecticut senior forward Brandon Peel (Forestville, MD/Riverdale Baptist) is the NEC’s active leader in career points (685) and rebounds (666).
BROTHERS REUNITE
In Saint Francis U’s game at Maryland Eastern Shore last Friday, Red Flash freshman guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) suited up against a familiar face.
Mark Blackmon is a junior guard for UMES, and the two brothers shared five minutes of court time. Mark scored two points, while Isaiah led SFU with 17 points.
MARYLAND RIVALRY LIKE NO OTHER
When Mount St. Mary’s takes on Loyola (MD) this Saturday at 2:00 pm in Emmitsburg (TV: MASN), it will mark the 171st meeting between the longtime rivals in the most-played rivalry in the state of Maryland. The Mount has won the last two meetings between the programs to give the Mountaineers a 98-72 lead in a series that began in 1910. One of the classic games between the two programs was a 99-93 overtime win for the Mountaineers in the championship game of the Mason-Dixon Conference Tournament on March 5, 1955. That was former head coach Jim Phelan’s first of 49 seasons spent as head coach at the Mount.
NEC POINTS DISTRIBUTION
How are NEC teams scoring their points, you ask? The table below is a percentage breakdown of points scored by each team via two-point field goals, three-point field goals and free throws. The DI averages are 50.1 percent of points scored on two-pointers, 29.0 percent on three-pointers and 20.9 percent via free throws.
Team 2PT% 3PT% FT%
BRY 53.2 34.3 12.5
CCSU 60.0 23.1 16.9
FDU 56.0 25.7 18.3
LIU 54.8 20.8 24.4
MSM 52.9 31.9 15.3
RMU 53.0 32.8 14.2
SHU 54.3 22.3 23.4
SFBK 47.1 34.3 18.7
SFU 49.0 26.1 24.9
WC 47.3 32.5 20.2
LIU’S HERMANNSSON ELEVATES GAME
A member of the NEC All-Rookie team a year ago, LIU Brooklyn sophomore guard Martin Hermannsson (Reykjavik, Iceland/Reykjavík) has taken his game to another level over his first five outings of the 2015-16 campaign.
Hermannsson has upped his scoring average from 10.1 ppg to 16.8 ppg to rank fourth in the NEC in scoring. He is also scoring more efficiently this season, improving his field goal accuracy from 39.1 percent to 50.9 percent, the sixth-best mark on the circuit.
Hermannsson has scored at least 14 points in each game this season and last week averaged 16.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.5 while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three-point territory.
HERE & THERE
• CCSU freshman guard Austin Nehls (Tucson, AZ/Cheshire Academy) scored a career-high 17 against Binghamton last Tuesday. Nehls hit five three-pointers against the Bearcats, the first Blue Devil with five three-pointers in a game since Matt Mobley hit five at Robert Morris on February 14, 2015. Nehls leads CCSU with 13 three-pointers this season.
• CCSU senior forward Brandon Peel (Forestville, MD/Riverdale Baptist) posted his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds against Binghamton on Tuesday. He now has 15 career double-doubles and 25 games of at least 10 rebounds. Peel leads the NEC with 10.0 rpg on the year.
• Fairleigh Dickinson freshman forward Mike Holloway (Pittsgrove, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick) averaged 8.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg in a 1-1 week for the Knights. He scored nine points on 4-4 shooting in a 77-62 win over Saint Peter’s on Saturday and chipped in eight points in a 73-72 setback at Delaware four days earlier. Holloway, who leads the NEC in field goal accuracy at 72.4 percent, made 8-11 (.727) from the floor in the two games.
• LIU Brooklyn junior guard averaged Aakim Saintil (West Orange, NJ/Roselle Catholic (South Alabama, Williston State)) averaged 12.0 ppg, 5.5 apg and 2.0 spg last week. He finished with 13 points and nine assists last Wednesday as the Blackbirds nearly erased a 25-point second half deficit in an 80-72 setback at FIU.
• Junior guard BK Ashe (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate) had a big week for Mount St. Mary’s, scoring 19 of his career-high 25 points in the second half of the Mount’s loss at Elon on Thursday. He finished the week averaging 18.0 ppg and leads the Mount on the season at 15.0 ppg.
• Mount St. Mary’s sophomore guard Junior Robinson (Mebane, NC/Eastern Alamance), playing just 10 minutes from his hometown at Elon as part of the Battle for Atlantis Tournament, averaged 14.5 ppg and 5.0 apg in two games, while redshirt senior center Taylor Danaher (Fredericksburg, VA/Fredericksburg Christian School) averaged 12.5 ppg while shooting 61.1 percent from the field.
• In three games last week in the Air Force Classic, Robert Morris senior guard Rodney Pryor (Evanston, IL/Notre Dame Prep (Cloud County CC)) averaged 17.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg. In an 81-71 overtime setback at New Mexico State to open the week, Pryor contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. Three days later he scored a game-high 21 points off the bench on 7-11 shooting at Tennessee Tech. Pryor wrapped up the week by helping the Colonials notch their first win of the 2015-16 campaign by recording his second double-double of the season and third of his career with 17 points and 12 boards in a 67-64 victory over Mississippi Valley State. Trailing, 63-62, with under a minute to play, Pryor hit a pop shot in the lane with 47.1 seconds left that helped give the Colonials the lead for good against the Delta Devils. Overall in the Air Force Classic, Pryor averaged 19.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg, and also dished out seven assists, blocked three shots and registered five steals in four games. Pryor leads RMU in scoring (19.3 ppg, second in NEC) and rebounding (7.0 rpg, sixth in NEC), and has scored in double figures in each of his last 17 games dating back to last year.
• Robert Morris sophomore forward Elijah Minnie (Monessen, PA/Monessen) averaged 17.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.7 bpg in three games last week while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, including 42.1 percent (8-19) from deep. Minnie exploded for a career-high 29 points in an 81-71 overtime setback at New Mexico State last Tuesday.
• In just his second game of the year, Sacred Heart senior forward Tevin Falzon (Newton, MA/Newton North (Winchendon School)) finished one point shy of a new career-high with a game-best 21 at Holy Cross on Wednesday. He added a game-high seven rebounds and also blocked a shot. Falzon capped a 7-0 run to tie the game, 51-51, with 7:21 remaining and also made a jumper and free throw on back-to-back possessions to pull SHU back within two with under six minutes to play.
• St. Francis Brooklyn senior guard Tyreek Jewell (Bronx, NY/Leadership & Public Service (Jamestown CC)) scored a career-best 20 points against Hartford on Sunday, and senior forward Amdy Fall (New York, NY/Wings Academy) posted his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against North Florida on Saturday.
• Saint Francis U senior forward Ronnie Drinnon (Jamestown, OH/Greenview) averaged 12.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg over two games last week. He recorded his first double-double of the season at UMES on Friday, when he scored 15 points and added 13 rebounds. Drinnon is now averaging 9.6 ppg and ranks third in the NEC with 8.2 rpg.
• Saint Francis U freshman guard Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, NC/West Charlotte) scored a team-high 17 points in the Red Flash’s loss at UMES on Friday. Making his first career start, Blackmon added three assists and two rebounds. In Tuesday’s game at Kent State, Blackmon finished with six points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.
• Wagner senior guard Dwaun Anderson (Suttons Bay, MI/Suttons Bay (Michigan State)) scored a career-high 17 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the line in the Seahawks’ 83-59 win over College of Staten Island on Saturday. Anderson has hit double-digits in all four games this season and ranks second on the Seahawks with 13.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg on the year.
NEC NUMBERS
CCSU has experimented with four different starting lineups in the first five games. With a young squad, nine different players have started at least one game for the Blue Devils.
LIU Brooklyn’s Jerome Frink established an NEC single-game season-high with 15 boards against FIU on Wednesday.
Four of the next five games for Mount St. Mary’s will be against Patriot League opponents (American, Loyola, Bucknell, Lehigh).
Mount St. Mary’s is forcing opponents into 16.8 turnovers per game and has posted a league-leading +5.3 turnover margin.
Since being held scoreless in his first two games in a Robert Morris uniform, junior forward Billy Giles has averaged 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds over his last five games while shooting 63.3 percent (19-30) from the floor.
With ten three pointers at Fairfield and eight at Holy Cross, Sacred Heart made at least eight trifectas in back-to-back games for the first time since December 4 & 7, 2013.
St. Francis Brooklyn forced Hartford into committing 21 turnovers on Saturday, the most by a Terrier opponent this season.
Wagner’s Bashir Mason became the fourth coach in Wagner history to record 50 career wins with the Seahawks’ victory over CSI on Saturday.
Wagner is 41-8 when outrebounding opponents, 34-4 when leading at the half and 19-5 when scoring 80+ points under Bashir Mason.
Wagner is outrebounding by opponents by 9.2 per game, the best mark in the NEC.
QUOTABLE
“That was a quality team win when we needed it most. We played great offense, but what excited me most was the way we rebounded the basketball. I love how the combination of Steph (Jiggetts) and Earl (Potts Jr.) offensively opens up our entire offense. hose guys open things up for Darian (Anderson) and our big guys. This team improves every day in practice and today they got what they deserved.” - FDU head coach Greg Herenda following Saturday’s win over Saint Peter’s
“We knew they were going to be aggressive on defense. It’s a hard game to have set plays for. I’m proud of their resolve.” - RMU head coach Andrew Toole on RMU’s win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday
“Right from the start, me and the coaches would look at each other and be like, ‘Why can’t he be eligible right now?’ He does so many different things offensively and defensively, and he just has a very good background for knowing how to defend. He’s a tough kid.” - LIU Brooklyn head coach Jack Perri on Jerome Frink
“Just trying to get the tempo to a crazy pace. I thought it was great guts by our team. That’s a hard team to come back on.” - Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jamion Christian on his team’s resolve following a five-point setback at Elon on Thursday
TWEET DECK
Adam Pohl @PohlAdam
For my @MountHoops fans check out NEC Fast Break Podcast from @nybuckets featuring @pioneer_pride and others. Great way to follow #NECMBB
Nelson Castillo @NelCastBHJ
Rodney Pryor w/ an NEC POY type move and bucket to give RMU back the lead. MVSU ball, down 1. 41.1 secs left.
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
For the undersized 6’6 rookie to grab 12 rebounds versus Georgetown is impressive. Pettway could be a big time freshman come NEC time.
Ryan Peters @pioneer_pride
Elijah Minnie has been tremendous in the 2nd half. Hitting 3s, draining floaters in the lane. Has so much upside, but you already knew that.
Chris Cappella @C_Cappella
Isaiah Still ONIONS FOR EVERYONE. OVERTIME
Ron Ratner @NECHoopsRon
We’ve seen this before. @FDUKnights Darian Anderson finds Earl Potts Jr. for the alley-oop in win over SPC. #NECMBB
Zach Braziller @NYPost_Brazille
LIU’s Jerome Frink NEC Player of the Week. FIU transfer making immediate impact.
Jalen Cannon @iAM_Cannon
Got my first win as a professional Basketball player yesterday!
The Mount @MountHoops
Near & far, we are thankful for a family that has so much fun together on & off the court. #MSMUTurkeyTime
Timothy O’Shea @toshea1
Privilege to spent a few minutes with legendary Georgetown Coach John Thompson after today’s game.